1885 Three Dollar Struck in AluminumJudd-1753, R.8, PR64 Finest Certified, One of Two Known

1885 $3 Three Dollar, Judd-1753, Pollock-1966, R.8, PR64
NGC.
Design. The design is the regular-issue Indian Princess three
dollar gold piece designed by James B. Longacre, but struck in
aluminum with a reeded edge.
Commentary. As we have noted elsewhere in this catalog,
aluminum was for much of the 19th century considered a metal more
precious than gold, due to its highly reactive nature. When found
in nature, it is generally found in one of its many dozens of
alloyed forms. Only in the late 1880s and early 1890s did coins
made of pure aluminum become more plentiful and widespread, as new
means to separate the metal from its alloys were discovered and
improved upon. The comparative rarity of aluminum at the time no
doubt explains this pattern's R.8 rarity ranking. USPatterns.com
notes that "although listed as a regular die trial piece, these
were more likely deliberately struck for sale to collectors as part
of complete aluminum sets." "Silver" dollars, quarter eagles, and
the present three dollar "gold" pattern dated are 1885 are all
known in aluminum, but this is by far the rarest of the three
issues. The patterns website estimates that only two are known,
including the present example.
Physical Description. The steel-gray and powder-gray surfaces
are free of any discernible color otherwise, and there are only a
few tiny contact marks noted in the fields. A small dark spot on
Liberty's brow provides a pedigree marker. There are only two
pieces certified, this PR64 NGC specimen and a PR63 PCGS example
(10/08).
Provenance.Ex: Stack's private treaty.
From The Lemus Collection, Queller Family Collection Part Two. (PCGS# 62196)